Thebes, Greece

Thebes ( ; Greek: Θήβα, Thíva; Ancient Greek: Θῆβαι, Thêbai) is a city in Boeotia, Central Greece, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the largest city in Boeotia and a major center for the region.

Ancient Thebes was the largest and leading polis of the Boeotian League. It sided with the Persians during the 480 BC invasion under Xerxes I. Theban forces under the command of Epaminondas defeated Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC, giving rise to a short-lived Theban hegemony. In 338 BC, Macedon defeated an alliance of Thebes and Athens at the Battle of Chaeronea, and later Thebes was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 335 BC.

During the Byzantine period, the city was famous for its silks. The modern city contains an archaeological museum, the remains of the Cadmea (Bronze Age and forward citadel), and scattered ancient remains. The Holy Church of Luke the Evangelist is also in Thebes and contains Luke's tomb and relics.